The immediate end to the siege at Habbaniyah

On the night of 5 May 1941, King's Own Rifle Regiment partols staged a raid on the Iraqis surrounding Habbaniyah. On the following morning, the British found that the Iraqis had abandoned part of the plateau and had left a great deal of "arms and equipment for which a good use was soon found". RAF Rolls Royce armoured cars advanced up the road towards Fallujah, and ran into Iraqi forces. These were attacked and driven out by levies and troops form the King's Own Rifle Regiment. They were supported by Audaxes from Habbaniyah. A column was seen advancing from Fallujah in the afternoon of 6 May and they were bombed and straffed by forty aircraft. The results were ammunition explosions and vehicles burning. This is based on the account in Vol.II of the Official History.